Hardware security modules (HSM) are known to provide a physical computing device that safeguards and manages digital keys for digital system authentication and cryptographic processing. For example, HSMs routinely form part of mission-critical infrastructures such as public key infrastructures or online banking applications. These modules traditionally come in the form of a plug-in card, or an external device that attaches directly to a computer or network server.
In external device implementations, a hardware processor and storage device is provided within a tamper-resistant casing or the like so to minimize unauthorized access and hardware tampering, while also occasionally providing tamper evidence logging. An external input/output interface is provided via PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association), PC Card interface, Smart Card interface, USB port, or any other communication interface that may be design specific and that links to an internal memory used for storing private keys and like data in an associated key space, and a cryptographic engine for processing these keys for an intended purpose (authentication and/or authorization, encryption/decryption, etc.). A PCI or PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) interface can alternatively be provided to result in a similar implementation. Using this approach, various HSMs may be interconnected within a network architecture to provide various data security services, generally, in a one-to-one fashion (i.e. one HSM per network security function).
In network implementations, a network attached HSM may take the form of a standard HSM communicatively linked to an appliance server (e.g. application layer interface) or the like that intermediates access to the HSM and can thus allow a same network attached HSM to interface with distinct services. For instance, HSM access software executed on the appliance server can sort through various inbound requests received from distinct network-accessible sources and channels and manage processing of such requests by the HSM over a singular server-HSM channel. Ultimately, the HSM is executed in response to the appliance server and thus generally remains blind to the sorting and management functions of the appliance server.
The SafeNet Luna SA/Network HSM (Gemalto, Belcamp, Md., e.g. see https://safenet.gemalto.com/data-encryption/hardware-security-modules-hsms/safenet-network-hsm/) provides one example of a network HSM in which multiple HSM hardware storage partitions can be defined to secure corresponding cryptographic keys. These keys are stored to service corresponding network applications via an onboard access software that provides the network linking services on the appliance, that executes programmed logic to interface with the partitioned key spaces on one side, and the various network applications on the other via corresponding secured network connections (i.e. SSL). Accordingly, a common HSM network interface can be used to concurrently service various network applications or clients over respective secure network connections thereto, while also providing partitioned storage solutions to store application-specific keys in distinct storage partitions.
A few of the HSMs available in the market today have the ability to execute specially developed modules within the HSM's secure enclosure. Such ability is useful, for example, in cases where special algorithms or business logic has to be executed in a secured and controlled environment. For example, HSMs provided by Thales e-Security (Plantation, Fla., e.g. see https://www.thales-esecurity.com/products-and-services/products-and-services/hardware-security-modules) promote the ability to host critical applications within the HSM's security boundary so to establish tamper-resistant business processes (i.e. executed within a generally anti-tamper running environment) in addition to protecting cryptographic operations.
U.S. Patent Application publication No. 2013/0219164 describes Cloud-Based Hardware Security Modules in which a cloud-based HSM provides core security functions of a physically controlled HSM, such as a USB HSM, while allowing user access within the cloud and from a user device, including user devices without input ports capable of direct connection to the HSM. The HSMs can be connected to multi-HSM appliances on the organization or user side of the cloud network, or on the cloud provider side of the cloud network. HSMs can facilitate multiple users, and multi-HSM appliances can facilitate multiple organizations.
International Application publication No. WO 2016/099644 describes Systems and Methods for Using Extended Hardware Security Modules that possess additional security properties relative to conventional HSMs and methods for initializing, deploying, and managing such extended HSMs in a networked environment. An extended HSM is described to generally include additional hardware and software components that configure it to run sensitive client tasks on demand inside a cloud-hosted, anti-tamper HSM housing so as to ensure sensitive data is encrypted when stored or processed outside the housing. By deploying virtualization technology inside the extended HSM, virtual HSMs may be implemented as virtual machines or more efficient light-weight operating system-level virtualized containers. As such, a single extended HSM host may run one or more virtualized extended HSM guests in respective virtualized spaces. Namely, a host HSM may provide a virtual network interface functionality to a guest using its underlying hardware network interface to implement the provided network interface functionality.
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